Upon escaping Peaston's wrath, K'vvan and Mayte are left to their own devices by Nadeeth. Uh oh.

When

One Turn, 3 months and 12 days until the 12th Pass

Where

The Hole Called Home - K'vvan's weyr

The Hole Called HomeCrude carved walls line the edges of this small abode. One wall has a medium sized bed piled with soft furs laying neatly tucked along each sides. The single pillow rests waiting for a head to be laid upon it. At the foot of the bed and running the length of a wall are woodnen shelves sitting almost hip height. 5 medium sided baskets sit upon the shelf, each holding articles of clothing neatly folded within. An old worn rug adorns the floor between the bed and an exit out to the ledge. A small table rests beside the opening holding a tinder box and the remains of a candle in a worn holder. Tucked out of sight around an awkward corner is a small fireplace sheltered from the winds of the ledge by its corner.

Nadeeth lands on her ledge to allow K'vvan and Mayte to slide off before launching back into the sky. K'vvan watches her go before turning to the Apprentice that is suddenly stuck there till morning. The run and short flight have burned some of the alcohol from his system, enough that he isn't stumbling as badly. There is a strange look in his eyes though, a slight burning.

Mayte slowly slides down Nadeeth's neck, still plotting and politicking in her own head, until a faint flash of green glow indicates that Nadeeth has departed. "Oh no, where is she going?" Dismayed little abandoned apprentice. Mayte looks up to K'vvan, "Why did she leave?" Mysteries upon mysteries, Mayte looks up to K'vvan, "And what was with that?" A hand waves back to the ground, "Are you feeling okay?" Heated? Warm? Spicy? Well, Mayte is all these things, but she doesn't seem to expect it of K'vvan.

K'vvan paces forward slowly towards Mayte eyes locked on her, bit a hint of coherent thought beaks though.and he shakes his head to clear it and shifts misstep and instead towards the weyr. "She won't be back tonight. C’mon."

Mayte's eyes are caught in K'vvans momentarily, before she blinks, "She's… not coming back." After a moment of… not exactly deliberation, Mayte follows K'vvan, "Is this your weyr?" It's the utter trust that reels Mayte closer to the dark entrance of K'vvan and Nadeeth's home, "Do you have a blanket for the floor or something?" This is just like camping! Really high up!

"I have a bed" K'vvan's tone is slightly defensive as he enters the weyr proper and uses the faint light streaming from the ledge to open a small glow that illuminates the sparse room. "Faranth it is hot tonight." The haze surrounding his thoughts is closing in again as he moves through the weyr, loosening the ties on his shirt to allow it to hang more loosely.

Yeah, K’vvan may have a bed, but Mayte trails in slowly, arms wrapped around herself, “Yeah. You have a bed.” The emphasis indicating Mayte’s not just going to jump into it like the woman of loose morals Peaston called her. “Um. Yeah, it’s pretty warm,” and Mayte is cautiously looking around, at anything but K’vvan’s *gulp* open shirt, “Have you been up here long?” If there was any ice left to be broken, Mayte is desperately searching for it.

"You can have it," K'vvan says, gesturing at the bed in the corner. His back is to the girl, one hand having slowly risen to touch his temple. Moving around he kneels in front of the small fireplace and fumbles with his firestarter to light it. Already he seems to have forgotten that he is hot. Or perhaps he is simply filling his hands.

Oh. Mayte looks slightly sheepish, but continues to walk around the room. Bed, laundry, little table. Nothing to indicate K’vvan has gone off the wagon and is luring young ladies to their DOOM. Phew. Her survey brings her to stand next to K’vvan, and Mayte finally unfurls herself enough to bring one hand to hover without touching, over the rider’s. “I thought you said you were warm, K’vvan? We don’t need a fire, do we?” Unless Pern magically has marshmallows. That’s different.

K'vvan drops the firestarter, it rolling out if his hands. He goes after it, but as lost things do, it rolls out of reach into a dark corner. "Damn it." K'vvan turns and Mayte is there right within arms reach. Nadeeth is whispering into his mind again, ribbons and fuzzballs making suggestions bordering on demands. A slight shift occurs in K'vvan's expression, the dark smoldering look coming back.

Watching the firestarter roll out of the way, Mayte huhs. “”We can find that later.“ That royal use of ‘we’ again. She’s not looking at K’vvan as his expression changes, and when the young woman does look back, she gulps a moment, “Um. Are you… feeling okay, K’vvan? “ For all that K’vvan’s darkness does seem slightly fuzzy, Mayte is giving him a slightly worried stare. “How much did you drink tonight, anyways?” The smoldering look catches Mayte’s eye, and she goes quiet, unable to really look away.

"You shouldn't be here." K'vvan ignores Mayte's question about his drinking, stepping closer to her , only a breath separating the pair of them. A shaking hand reaches out towards her, reaching upwards to brush her hair in a gentle touch.

Mayte, indeed, probably shouldn’t be here… and she wouldn’t be, if she hadn’t been abandoned by a green flying creature with no common sense, apparently! “Um. Probably not,” she agrees faintly, but Mayte is frozen, to the spot, ” So. Um. If I take the bed, where would you sleep?” Darnit, she used a conditional word, no the active ‘will’. Even as K’vvan’s hand reaches to touch her hair, Mayte looks down shyly - big mistake because oooh, chest, even though her hands are clenching to avoid touchy. Mmm, touchy.

K'vvan is slowly losing the thread of himself, drink and the demands of his dragon doing what no other combination can do. "We could sleep together," He twines a finger through her hair, wrapping a long strand around one finger. He leans in to kiss her….and stumbles against her instead, missing completely.

Mayte’s eyes are drawn to where K’vvan’s curiling her hair around a finger and then looking up. In quiet anticipation, her eyes fall shut, looking like the very image of a young woman about to be kissed for… well, not the first time. And then it all goes wrong - K’vvan’s stumble leads to Mayte being off balance which ends with her grabbing onto K’vvan, trying to save her fall onto her butt, with an elicited, “Eep!”

The stumble plus a lack of coordination leads to the inevitable end, K'vvan falling to his knees onto the hard stone floor of his home, the shirt ripping from where she has grabbed it. Hopefully that hair of hers has slipped from his fingers.

From Mayte’s embarrassingly prone position of on her butt, she looks up. “Ouch,” says she, because that lock of hair indeed did not escape K’vvan’s fingers. It’s only fair, though, because she’s rent his shirt down to sternum. Any encroaching wetness in her eyes is hastily blinked away, “I think you should probably take the bed tonight,” she tries to grin and not giggle, “I can scrunch into a chair.” And not pull ridiculous drunk poses that would leave a body aching in the morning.

"I don't have a chair." K'vvan's eyes have lost some of their intensity, the ouch in his knees a good distraction. "I have a pallet on the ledge," He pushes himself to his feet, guiltily brushing away a few black strands wrapped on his fingers. Unsteady still, he does reach down to help her up if she dares.

“Pallets work. I slept on one a lot when I was younger,” Mayte assures. Because Vintnering is a hard life. “Would you like some… Uh, water?” A careful look at the hand, and Mayte decides to take it - though she pushes to her feet mostly on her own power.
Just enough of her weight has K'vvan stumbling again, forward this time and towards the bed. He lets go of her hand and makes it to the bed, oomphing onto it. Damn it, he can't do anything right tonight, the voice in his head is urging him to stop being so lackwit and just do it already!

So Mayte is now on her feet, and K’vvan isn’t. That figures. She moves to stand over him by his bed, “You okay, there?” One hand rests on her hip, the other drumming against Mayte’s thigh like it wants to verify any answer given, “If you tell me where the water is, I’ll get you some.” Helpful Mayte is helpful!

"Come here Mayte," K'vvan holds out a hand to the girl, for the moment giving up on his ability to stand on two feet. "please," His eyes are on hers, seeking…. something, perhaps understanding or maybe just a break. Outstretched his hand shakes with the drink and the pressure of presence in his mind.

You know when you start doing something and you’re very sure it’s a bad idea, but you keep doing it? That’s how Mayte ends up sitting at the edge of K’vvan’s bed, sideways so as to look down at the greenrider with a fond grin. She tentatively brushes her fingertips against his hand’s knuckles and asks teasingly, “Feeling better there? Think you can curl up and get some sleep?” Because with dawn comes either a clear mind, or a hangover…

Bad ideas all to one side, K’vvan is pretty sure this is a good idea. Reaching out he curls his fingers around hers, gentle. “No, I don’t think I can sleep at all with you here.” And then silence. He should do something else here, but really, look how well that turned out last time. So, fighting the SUGGESTIONS in his head, he simply stops.

“Um,” Mayte says, watching K’vvan’s hand wrap around hers, her own thumb rubbing gently against the skin it can reach, “Well, I’ll stay with you for a while, then.” she decides, giving him a grin, “I didn’t say thank you, by the way.” For a moment, Mayte actually blushes while giving K’vvan’s hand a squeeze.

“Thank you?” This is a bit too deep for K’vvan to process at this moment, so he just shifts slightly to be able to look at her. “For being drunk and wanting to sleep with you right now?” The last part slips out without him catching it.

“You know, for defending me. Against Journeyman Peaston.” No, not for… “Hwha?” That’s the sound of stunned Apprentice, and suddenly Mayte’s blush is vanishing down under her jacket. “Um.” The very picture of demure clashing with innocent wanting, “Maybe…” cough, choke, “Maybe when you’re not so… inebriated?” She’s not about to be accused of ravishing ANYONE, thank you, or, totally not thank you, darnitall, “Just so, um. You know, ya know?”

"So I remember." Right he had said that once, right? Damn it. "Mayte…" Finally he leans forward to try once more to kiss her.

“Yeah, exactly,” Mayte replies. Oh hai, experience from before, didn’t want to see you here. “But, you know, when you’re feeling better…” Because Mayte thinks this is all K’vvan here. However, she is going to allow one brief kiss, like a promise to herself, or to K’vvan, “If you don’t remember this, I’m not reminding you,” she warns as she leans forward, dark eyes wide open.

She will have to extract herself from this now as K'vvan has no desire to keep it brief. He leans forward, moving to wrap arms around her if she will let him.

Mayte feels herself getting drawn in, and sighs a little, trying to resist the warmth, but it’s comfy. Maybe she can wait until he’s gone to sleep, but she’s starting to need to breath, so Mayte pulls away a little, as far as she can in K’vvan’s arms, and stares at him, eyes dark, and breath harsh, “Um.” Oh crap.

K'vvan will let her breathe, but he totally isn't letting go. He looks down onto her eyes, the burning intensity right back. Last chance, Mayte.

There’s nothing in particular that really brings Mayte down to herself again, from upon this really fun cloud, but awareness slowly starts to return in her eyes. “Um. Oh, no, K’vvan,” and her tone is all regret, “We really can’t do this.” She starts to tug herself away, “You’re drunk, and you’d hate me in the morning. And I’d hate me too.” A soft sigh, and Mayte tries to stand up, “I’ll go get the pallet, I’ll sleep right nearby.”

Not a dangerous man normally, K'vvan is even less so drunk. Sighing he lets her go. "you sleep here. Nadeeth doesn't like to share her space." And maybe having her ASLEEP, so close isn't a good idea. K'vvan pushes himself to his feet, one hand lingering just a moment on her face. Slowly, and more then a little unsteady, he stumbles onto the ledge.

Mayte sighs a little, watching K’vvan go. “Don’t fall off the ledge!” she calls, and sits for a moment. Doing the Right Thing sucks a lot sometimes, and Mayte toys with the idea of being a Very!Bad!Girl, but… no. Perhaps what that Journeyman said hit a bit too close to home (until K’vvan’s fist hit closer), or maybe Mayte just really doesn’t want to feel that way again. Either way, she reckons, lying back, slightly uncomfortable in the thought that K’vvan is sleeping out on his ledge because of her, they’ll both still feel better about themselves tomorrow. Well, after the headache.